Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance has launched a series of podcasts exploring breast cancer care for patients, the public and clinicians.
The six podcasts bring together clinical expertise and lived experience to explore important issues in breast cancer care and are being launched during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Cancer Conversations series brings primary and secondary care clinicians together to discuss subjects including screening, genetics, breast pain, menopause, metastatic cancer and life after treatment.
The podcasts aim to make complex conversations clearer, strengthen collaboration between services and help patients receive appropriate, compassionate care. Each episode also includes practical resources to support clinical practice.
The podcast series includes:
- Breast Cancer Screening and Prevention – NHS screening eligibility, including access, prevention and practical lifestyle advice
- Genetics, Family History and Breast Cancer – risk assessment, genetic testing and appropriate referral pathways
- Breast Pain, Breast Infection and Male Breast Cancer – assessing common symptoms, gynaecomastia and when referral is appropriate
- HRT, Menopause and Breast Cancer – breast cancer risk, treatment choices, contraception and managing menopausal symptoms.
- Metastatic Breast Cancer – recurrence, assessment, management, referral and patient support
- Breast Cancer: Living Beyond the Disease – the physical and emotional effects of treatment, recurrence anxiety and available support.
Contributors include breast surgeons, GPs, genetic counsellors and oncology specialists. The final episode also features Gina Barnett, a patient and a Managing Director of a Liverpool Primary Care Network, who shares her experience of breast cancer and the challenges that can follow treatment.
The professionally produced series was created by Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance (CMCA) and Liverpool brand communications agency, Kenyons & Co. It was originated by Miss Sonia Bathla, Consultant Oncoplastic Breast Surgeon, and Dr Hong Tseung, GP Education Clinical Lead in Education at CMCA. It was funded by AstraZeneca, which were not involved in its creation, content or organisation.
The podcasts are free to access by all clinicians and the public, using the podcast platforms Spotify, Apple Podcast and Amazon Music.
You can find the series on Audioboom here
You can also watch the podcasts as videos on YouTube here
You can access and download a toolkit here with more detailed information and materials to promote the podcast series.
For further information, contact CMCA Communications Manager Paul Ogden at paul.ogden1@nhs.net or the CMCA Primary Care team on ccf-tr.cmcaprimarycareengagement@nhs.net